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After hosting the popular Thursday night talk/variety show “Therapy Sessions” at the venerable and cozy Hungry Brain for a full year, Seth Vanek is moving around the corner for a one-night-only anniversary celebration with the help of bandleader and sidekick Colin Palombi. The show will re-visit the off-kilter take on the classic late night format Seth and Colin explored as part of Links Hall’s 2015 Live to Tape festival. Featuring music, comedy, and interviews, the show will feature three guests: 47th Ward Alderman and gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar, stand-up comedian Rebecca O’Neal, and Singer/Composer Akenya.

Ameya Pawar

In 2011, Ameya Pawar was elected Alderman of Chicago’s 47th Ward. Alderman Pawar is the first Asian-American elected to the Chicago City Council. In January of this year, he announced his bid for Governor on a progressive platform. Currently, Mr. Pawar is pursuing his third master’s degree at the University of Chicago in the School of Social Service Administration. In his spare time, he enjoys running, promoting bully-breed rescue organizations, and visiting U.S. National Parks.

Rebecca O'Neal is a Chicago based stand up comedian and writer/editor whose work can be read on/in Vanity Fair Magazine, Gawker.tv, Splitsider.com, Videogum.com, The Rumpus, Death and Taxes Magazine, and more.

Since she began stand up comedy in February 2012, Rebecca has performed at Portland's 2013 & 2014 Bridgetown Comedy Festival, RIOT LA Comedy Festival, Chicago Underground Comedy, Comedians You Should Know, Chicago Women's Funny Festival 2012 and headlined 2013, Queer Comedy at Zanies, The Comedy Shrine, The Laugh Factory, Zanies Rosemont, The Ohio Lesbian Festival, Entertaining Julia, The Lincoln Lodge, headlining NERDGASM at The Drop Comedy Club in Southbend, Indiana, and many other showcases in and around Chicago. Rebecca is a former cast member of the 14th season of Chicago's historic Lincoln Lodge and a regular at Laugh Factory Chicago - and was a recurring guest on Vocalo.org's morning amp and has appeared as a guest comedy commentator or WBEZ's Morning Shift with Tony Sarabia. She has opened for Maria Bamford, Janeane Garofalo, Al Madrigal, and Ron Funches.

She currently produces a monthly free, BYOB comedy showcase in Chicago called Congrats on Your Success (for which she does the promotion and public relations) that has been featured in/on WBEZ/NPR, The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, The Huffington Post, Vocalo.org, The Chicago Reader, The Red Eye's Eat Drink Do column, Time Out Chicago, Gapers Block, Chicagoist, LoganSquarist, Chicago Now, ChooseChicago.com, AfterEllen.com and many local blogs and websites. Rebecca has been featured in Paper Magazine, Bitch Magazine, Huffington Post and Huffington Post Chicago and more.

Rebecca O'Neal is a hilariously cerebral and confessional young comic whose upbringing on Chicago's South Side coupled with her love of language and tendency toward introspection endear her to audiences of all backgrounds. By humorously mining her experiences, she makes the esoteric universal.
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Akenya Seymour is a 23-year-old multi-genre singer, pianist, composer, and arranger who is pursuing her dream of becoming a professional musician. Although she has been singing and surrounded by music her entire life, her musical journey truly began at age 13 when she was accepted into the Chicago Academy for the Arts; a high school devoted to nurturing the talent of young artists. It was at this time that Akenya discovered her passion and flair for jazz. During her high school career, she performed in some of Chicago's most popular festivals, such as The Pearl Fest and Taste of Chicago, and on some of the city's most accredited stages and venues including the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion, The Cultural Center, Fitzgerald's, The Daley Plaza, The Jazz Showcase, and the White Sox US Cellular Field.

In the fall of 2010, she embarked upon her journey at New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). During her time at NEC, Seymour performed regularly at all of the school's concert halls, including the world renowned Jordan Hall. In addition to her musical accomplishments, she contributed to her school by founding and directing a benefit concert, a scholarship, and organizing several concerts, lectures, and outreach initiatives as president of NEC's African-American Student Union. She finished her Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Vocal Performance with Academic Honors in May of 2014.

In the jazz world, Akenya has worked with and performed for the likes of Fred Hersch, Jason Moran, Dave Holland, Vijay Iyer, Esperanza Spalding, Theo Bleckmann and Luciana Souza, to name just a few. She is also well known in the Chicago hip-hop and r&b scenes, and has collaborated with some of the city's latest, leading artists including Chance the Rapper, Noname Gypsy, Mick Jenkins, Alex Wiley, Donnie Trumpet, Eryn Allen Kane, and The O'My's. Akenya is currently working on a full LP as a follow up to her debut EP, Overcome, which was released in 2010. This new album will feature mostly originals, along with a few re-workings of standards, and will explore many sounds and genres, placing heavy emphasis on the roots of jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, world music, and pop.